Naruto Fan Fiction ❯ Year of Change ❯ Chapter 1, Part 5 ( Chapter 5 )

Disclaimer: I had a wonderful dream last night! I dreamed that I owned Naruto! It was wonderful! And you were there, and you, and so were you!! …and then I woke up and realized that I really didn't own Naruto… or the cast… but at least the story is mine!!

 

Chapter 1, Part 5: The Home Coming

 

“We'll be riding in style!” Naruto chortled on the morning before the Home Coming. “Dad gave me the car. You guys can come and ride with me and Hinata.”

 

The leaves were finally starting to change color. Starting the slow transition from deep green to yellow and red. Along with it, the temperature had also dropped drastically, causing the three of them to wear heavy coats. Gaara was comically in a large winter coat complete with scarf and wool hat.

 

“I use to live in the desert.” Was the only thing he said when the two of them had stared at him when he was walking to the bus stop. He had buried the lower part of his face into his scarf, allowing anyone that was looking at him to see only his eyes and the bits of red hair that were poking out of under the wool hat. He didn't even want to think about what he was going to do when it actually snowed.

 

“He completely surprised me. I was about to head out the door and he tossed the keys at him and told me to make sure I didn't bang it up. This party is going to rock, I can feel it.”

 

“Just don't crash the car like you did with the one in Driver's Ed.”

 

“Hey, that wasn't my fault! I told you… the tire blew and I couldn't control the car.”

 

“Riiiggghhhttt…” Sakura said teasingly.

 

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

 

He knocked on the door after inspecting himself for the third time. He couldn't help by feel almost like some kind of clown in these clothes. The jacket didn't give him full movement of his arms and he ended up not putting on the tie, rather leaving the top button undone so he was more comfortable. He also ended up redoing the part in his hair so the tattoo on his forehead showed, since she had been so interested in it.

 

Footsteps sounded behind the door, the sound of a lock and then the door opened. Sakura peeked her head out. She had done her face up a little, and pulled her hair back.

 

“Give me five minutes and I'll be right now.” She said and closed the door. Gaara made a silent prayer that her five minutes wouldn't turn into fifth-teen, something that his sister was good at. He looked down at the corsage he had gotten for her. He had ended up getting the one that wrapped around the wrist, and wondered how she was going to put it on. Was he suppose to help?

 

The door opened again and Sakura walked out. She pulled a small dress jacked over her shoulders and closed it, covering up her dress before he could actually see it. She held out something to him in her hand.

 

“I… I got you a boutonniere. I thought it was only fair since you got me something.” She said while holding up the said item. “I'm not very good at putting these on… Just… don't move.” She said while stepping closer and tried to work the pin into his jacket. It was a single red rose with some greenier wrapped around. It was simple and went along well with their little red and back theme.

 

“I'm not very good at putting these on either.” Gaara said holding up his own little flower arrangement. Once she was done, he mad the attempt to tie her on her wrist, and ended up need her to hold it in place while he tied the ribbons.

 

“It's pretty.” Sakura admired the pink flowers. “Shall we go down stairs and wait for the chariot then? I don't think Hinata lives too far away.”

 

“He's picking her up first?”

 

She shook her head and started to walk down the stairs. Slowly because of the dress and heels. “No, us first. I just hope he remembered how to put it neutral this time.”

 

“… How bad of a driver is Naruto?”

 

Naruto wasn't had of a driver really… if you didn't mind him driving 20 over the speed limit. Hinata was sitting in the passenger seat holding onto the hand rail above the door and buckle of her seatbelt. Sakura and Gaara were doing something similar in the back of the car. Gaara was grinding his teeth together while Sakura yelled at Naruto every time he narrowly avoided a car.

 

“Slow down!” She yelled at him.

 

“Naw, we're ok.” Unlike the rest of his passengers, Naruto looked as if he was sitting on a park bench watching people go by. “I just don't want to be late.”

 

“It doesn't start for another 20 minutes… we'll get there before the doors open at this rate.” Sakura shrieked as they weaved through another set of cars. “You're going to get us killed!”

 

“Have some faith in your driver.” Naruto replied.

 

“I'd have more faith if it was a monkey driving and not you!”

 

“Pfh, fine.” Naruto eased up on the gas. “We'll be fashionably late then.”

 

The rest of the passengers shared a sigh of relief and let of their safety equipment. Gaara and Hinata flexed their hands a bit to get them out of the death hold they had been in.

 

“So,” Sakura said, trying to find something to fill the sudden non-terrorized silence. “What did your parents say when Naruto showed up. It looked like you guys were talking for awhile.”

 

“They hated me!” Naruto said with a bright grin on his face. He acted like he was saying the complete opposite. “Well, her dad did anyway. I don't think you mom minded too much.” He looked over at Hinata who gave him a shaky smile.

 

“Mom thought you were nice.”

 

Sakura sat back in her seat and listened as the couple in front talked. Despite the huge difference in their personalities, they seemed to go well together. Tonight would be a fun night for them. She spied Gaara out of the corner of her eye.

 

`I wonder what kind of night we are going to have…'

 

He looked back from the window to her, catching her looking at him. “What?”

 

“Oh… nothing… I was just wondering…um… do you have any hobbies? Every time I see you, you are always doing something school related. Homework, reading school books…”

 

He seemed surprised…or she took the small wrinkle in her forehead as surprise. He really needed some eyebrows. She watched as he tilted his head to the side.

 

“I don't really have anything. I read and draw a little bit, but that's about it. I'm not really too passionate about anything.”

 

“What about the violin?” Hinata piped in. “Don't you play that?”

 

“I haven't since I moved here. It's still packed away in a box in the living room.”

 

“We need to take you out more.” Naruto said while turning guiding to car down an exit from the highway. “Get you into something manly… like video games.”

 

0o0o0o0o0o0o0

 

“Do you want to take a taxi home?” Sakura asked as they walked into the gym area. “I don't think my heart can take another trip on the Naruto roller coaster.”

 

“That would be preferred.” Gaara like Naruto and thought that he was a nice person and well ment… but he would be damned if was going to get in the car with him again.

 

They both looked around the gym area, which had actually been nicely done. It was stilly empty for the most part. All the car washes, bake sales and what ever other fund raiser and done for the school seemed to pay off.

 

`It almost does look like a ballroom.' Sakura thought while taking her jacket off and handing it to a freshman that had been tasked with coat duty. `I guess I can pretend a little bit…' She turned to look at Gaara who was also taking in the decoration. “Wanna grab a table?”

 

He nodded and paused. He seemed to think about something for a moment before holding out his arm. She blinked at him and then smiled. She carefully wrapped her arm around his headed toward the tables. Getting an empty table was easy, since most of the school still wasn't here. Most of the other students wouldn't arrive till 30 minutes after the actual start time, where as the egger beavers and those that didn't care for a dramatic entrance were already here. Most were sitting at tables and chatting while the DJ played a few mellow tunes.

 

“Don't you two make a cute couple.” Ino said from behind them. She smiled and took the seat next to Sakrua and started the normal talk of “Oh, doesn't you're dress look nice.” “Love the shoes” “You did you hair so nicely” and so on and so forth, while Ino's date took a seat next to her. While Sakura was chatting, she was unaware of Gaara's eyes roaming over her.

 

`Girls shouldn't be aloud to wear things like that.' He thought when she leaned forward to look at something Ino was showing her, giving her a better view if her bare back. He had a brief moment wanting to reach forward and run his fingers over her skin, but thought better of it. Instead he distracted himself with some novelty items in the middle of the table.

 

People were starting to file into the gym now, and the noise factor rose. More people joined their table and were all talking to each other. Gaara spotted Naruto and Hinata on the other side of the gym talking to some other students and noticed how Naruto had a possessive arm around Hinata's waist.

 

Was he suppose to do that?

 

Gaara looked around at the other students and wasn't sure. He spotted some who were sitting like him and Sakura were, others that hand their arms intertwined… and few that were hiding in the darker corners of the gym. The place was now full of people. Gaara found himself watching them all interact with each other. How the guys high fived and some girls did hugs.

 

“Alright everyone sit down…” An old man walked onto the mini stage area that was set up near the DJ. The students started to file about the room finding friends and sitting at tables with each other. Naruto and Hinata came over to join their table along with a few other people that were there. There was still a bit of chatter, but died down quickly as the old man looked at them. “Now as you all know, we had a victorious game today…”

 

Gaara looked from the old man back at Sakura. She was paying attention to the principle with her hands in her lap. Without thinking about it, he reached forward and grabbed the underside of her chair and pulled her closer to him. She looked up at him, wide and blinking. He waited another moment before awkwardly draping an arm on the back of her chair, not really touching him. They stared at each other for another moment before she gave him a small smile and sat back in her chair and turned her attention back on the old man talking.

 

`No so hard…' Gaara thought while also turned his attention on the speaker.

 

The principal stepped down so the student body president could come up and out a few sport awards and then made another announcement that Gaara didn't pay attention too because Sakura had leaned back farther into the crook of his arm. He was more then able to smell her perfume now. Her hair smelled like strawberries.

 

Suddenly the students were getting up and walking over to the buffet table on the far side of the room. Their table waited and the chatter in the room started up again. Sakura was still leaning into him while talking to Ino and Hinata.

 

“Come men folk!” Naruto said, standing up dramatically. “Let us go and fetch our women food.”

 

Gaara mentally grumbled when he got up. He missed the warm spot that Sakura had made there. He wanted to stay and keep smelling her hair and enjoy the feel of her against him. He popped his knuckles while he followed the other men.

 

“He doesn't look half bad when he's dressed up.” Ino teased when their dates were out of ear reach.

 

“Yeah, once in a while Naruto can look presentable.” Sakura said while watching them walk over to the mob at the table.

 

“I was talking about your date, Sakura.”

 

Sakura shot daggers at Ino which caused the other girls to laugh. “That's not funny.”

 

“I'm serious. You almost wouldn't think he was some little goth kid.”

 

“That `little goth kid' has a higher GPA then you could wish to have.” She wasn't sure why she was getting so angry like this. One part of her agreed with Ino, but that didn't mean she would let other people talk about him like that.

 

“Awww… you're defending him. Cute.”

 

Sakura felt a vein popping. “At least I didn't come with the creepy little art kid.”

 

“He's not creepy.” Ino frowned, not liking this turn of events.

 

“Anyone that always has that little smile on his face is creepy.”

 

“So says the girl with the date that has no expression.”

 

They two glared at each other for a moment before breaking out into friendly laughter. The other women at the table gave them a worried look, except Hinata. She had been around them long enough to know that this was their normal behavior.

 

While the girls continued to have their little chat, the men were making the attempt to get enough food for them and their dates. Gaara wasn't sure which foods to get while Naruto was heaping food on his plate.

 

“I think they are arguing.” Sai said while looking over at the table.

 

“Eh? But they are all smiling.” Naruto said around the mouthful food he had just taken.

 

“I saw my sister smile sweetly while running after my brother with a kitchen knife once…” Gaara said, also looking back at the table. He noticed that everyone was looking at him. “What?”

 

0o0o0o0o0o0

 

Gaara watched the taxi drive off, with Sakura's arm warped around his. He felt… content. The night had gone well, better then he thought it would be. He didn't want to take Sakura up to her apartment yet… he wanted to enjoy this closeness and touching a little bit more. Amazing how when you never had anything like this how much more you wanted it.

 

“Want to go for a walk?” He asked.

 

“Sure. Where would you like to go?”

 

Gaara thought for a moment. He didn't want to go walking around the streets at this time of night. It late and dark and the creeps would be out and about. He didn't want to risk it.

 

“Well… I know one place.”

 

She shivered a little bit. It was colder up on the roof then it was on the ground. Gaara took his jacket off and draped it around her shoulders. He moved over to AC unit and reached under it and pulled something out, careful not to get his cloths dirty. She shook them slightly and set them out.

 

“You hide camping chairs up here?” Sakura asked as she watched him set them up.

 

“My sister and I like to star gaze now and then. We got tired of carrying them so we just leave them up here. There.” He offered one of the chairs to Sakura and sat down in the other.

 

“How often do you come up here?” She asked while sitting down.

 

“Once a week, if weather permits.” He was looking up at the stars, picking out certain plants and constellations'. “It's just something she and I do.”

 

Sakura leaned over to remove her heels and sighed at her feet flexed and felt free from the camped space they had been. Women were able to wear the pretty colors, but the men got the comfortable shoes to wear.

 

“You looked really nice tonight.” Gaara said after a moment's silence.

 

“Thank you. You cut a rather dashing figure yourself. Back to the normal cloths tomorrow?”

 

“Yes…” His hand reached up and undid another button from his dress shirt. “It's hard to move around in this.”

 

When he rested his hand on his arm rest, Sakura looked at it for a moment before moved her hand over it. His hand moved till he had his finger lightly intertwined with hers. She enjoyed the warmth that his hand gave.

 

“You know… I've never been able to figure out what you are thinking.” She said. When he looked over at her, she was thankful that it was dark enough out that he couldn't see her flush. “I mean… you keep to yourself a lot. Every time I think I have an idea of what you might do, you always surprise me. Like coming with me tonight… or even this.” She squeezed his hand.

 

“I… wasn't expecting this either…”

 

Sakura smiled at him and lend her head back in her chair and looked up at the stars. They stayed up there for another hour, enjoying the stars, the silence and each other's company

 

 

 

0o0o0o0o0o0

 

She knew something had changed for sure when she opened the front door the following Monday and saw that there was someone was waiting for her. Gaara was leaning on the banister, munching on his bagle. He saw her and stood away from the wall.

 

“Good morning.”

 

She smiled back at him. “Good morning.”

 

End of Chapter 1

 

 

NA

I have no idea what I wanted to break this chapter into parts…. Probably to make it easier to write. I am going to take a little break before I start work on the next chapter. I hope you guys enjoyed the little mush that I put at the end.